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African
Union Set To Be Launched in South Africa
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| Libyan
President Moamer Kadhafi, architect of the African Union
blueprint, was well received by much of Africa |
DURBAN,
South Africa, July 6 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – Delegates
continued to work Saturday, July 6, on finalizing drafts of founding
documents and bylaws to be presented to heads of state before the
formal launching of the African Union set to take place next Tuesday,
July 9.
The
continent's new body of states loosely based on the European Union
(EU) will replace the 39-year-old Organization of African Union (OAU).
The
long awaited launch of the new body, conceived by Libyan leader Moamer
Kadhafi, is taking place on Tuesday in the Indian Ocean port of Durban
in South Africa, attended by most heads of state of the OAU’s 53
member countries.
However,
Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo would not be attending, official
sources in Abidjan said, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
Kadhafi has suggested that the headquarters of the organization be
based in Libya, Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa said.
Mwanawasa
said Saturday that he would support Libya’s request and ask the
Union to consider making the headquarters in Libya, since the new
union was formed following the vision of Kadhafi, who created the
blueprint for the new organization, Associated Press (AP) reported.
However,
there have been reports that some African leaders are seeking to limit
Kadhafi’s role and influence in the new organization.
Falmata
Liman, the assistant to OAU secretary-general Amara Essy said:
"For the first day of the summit, the OAU will still be in place
but, on Tuesday once the heads of state adopt the founding acts for
the four main bodies of the African Union, the new organization will
have been born."
The
four bodies, which are crucial for the creation of the AU, already
exist in the OAU, though in some cases under different names and with
different powers.
The
first is the Conference, currently called the summit of the OAU, which
groups the heads of state and government of the members. For the first
year of existence of the AU, it will be chaired by South African
President Thabo Mbeki, who is hosting the inaugural summit.
Next
is the Executive Council of Foreign Ministers, which has been known as
the council of ministers within the OAU.
The
third AU organ, which will be created Tuesday, is the Committee of
Permanent Representatives. It will consist of all the ambassadors of
member countries to the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa and have wider
powers than under the OAU, where its role has been purely an advisory
one.
The
last of the four bodies takes form as a commission, which replaces the
secretariat of the OAU and is meant to have far greater powers than
its predecessor.
t
will have 10 members, including a president and a vice president, and
will have the job of implementing the proposals and programs of the
other AU organs, notably those on resolving Africa's numerous
conflicts.
The
president of the commission is likely to be elected only some time
after next week's summit in Durban, South Africa and in the meantime
Essy will fill the post, Liman said.
There
are 13 other OAU organs that will be created one by one in the coming
months, including the Council for Peace and Security, modeled on the
United Nations Security Council, an African parliament and common
central bank.
Foreign
ministers from the OAU member countries, who have, since Thursday,
been meeting in South Africa, were on Saturday finalizing the drafts
of the founding documents to present to the heads of state for their
approval.
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